What is school phobia?
School phobia is the fear of a child to go to school. This can be due to the lessons, the teachers and classmates or other school-related factors. Something in the everyday life at school makes the child so afraid that it does not want to go to school. This anxiety often affects the children physically, which is why they are noticed because of stomach aches or similar symptoms.
How do I as a parent know that my child suffers from school anxiety?
Very rarely does the child say that he or she is afraid of school, or is even fully aware of it. Therefore, if unclear physical symptoms occur, it is of little use to ask the child where the problem lies. If the symptoms persist, parents should therefore pay attention to the context in which they are particularly bad.
For example, if the child is afraid of school, he or she feels particularly bad before and after school, while during the vacations they have no problems at all. Parents can therefore only recognize a fear of school by observing their children closely. In case of doubt, a pediatrician or psychologist can help with his diagnostic possibilities.
A pronounced fear of school is often accompanied by unspecific physical symptoms. Quite typical for this are: Especially older children and adolescents also have psychological symptoms such as depressive moods, social withdrawal or eating disorders. A fear of school can therefore cause a wide variety of symptoms that are often difficult to determine.
This is because the complaints are of a psychosomatic nature. This is the term used to describe physical symptoms that are triggered by mental stress. In principle, any conceivable symptom can occur and school phobia can therefore take on a variety of forms.
However, although no physical illness is the cause of the symptoms, the symptoms should not be underestimated. They are perceived by the children to the full extent and are not imaginary. They therefore cause them just as much trouble as if there were a physical cause.
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Headaches
- Sleep and concentration disorders
- Pain in the whole body
- Bedwetting in children
By far the most common symptom of school anxiety is stomach ache. It is not wrong to say that psychological stress “hits you on the stomach“, and children in particular are very susceptible to gastrointestinal problems in this respect. Therefore, if the abdominal pain is persistent and not caused by an acute illness, parents should think of psychological problems such as a fear of school.